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Undergraduate Catalog 2024-2025

Software Engineering B.S.

Program Overview

Monfort College of Business and College of Natural and Health Sciences

Contact: Jacob Rose, Ph.D., Chair of Accounting and CIS

Location: Kepner 2090 G

Telephone: 970.351.1210

 

Contact: Jodie Dawn Novak, Ph.D., Director, School of Mathematical Sciences

Location: Ross Hall 2239H

Telephone: 970.351.2820

Advising Information:

All business majors must consult with their assigned advisor each semester prior to registering.

To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the MCB Advising Office for advisor information, 970.351.1233.

The program consists of three parts:

  1. Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
  2. Required Major Credits
  3. University-Wide Credits

Program Description:

The Software Engineering program is a collaborative degree offered by the Department of Accounting & CIS, Monfort College of Business, and the School of Mathematical Sciences, College of Natural and Health Sciences. The Software Engineering program prepares students to apply a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development of software employing technology independent standard processes.  Course content provides understanding and experiences in determining software requirements, software design fundamentals, software project planning, software metrics, and testing and application development.

Graduates will be able to communicate technical requirements, design patterns and system specifications in writing and orally, design and develop software to solve complex problems, understand and apply basic principles of computer engineering, and understand and apply professional ethics.

Program Admission Requirements:

  • Incoming New First Time and Transfer students are admitted to the College of Business major and minors provided they meet the admission requirements set forth by UNC.
  • Current UNC students who have completed at least 15 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or above are guaranteed admission to any business major.
  • Current UNC students who have completed at least 15 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.00-2.49 qualify to apply for admission to a business major. Students may apply at the MCB Advising Center located in Kepner 1095.

Program Requirements

  • At least 44 credit hours of the degree must be earned at UNC.
  • Attain a 2.0 or greater GPA in the required major courses.
  • Attain at least a "C-" in each required major course.

Degree Requirements — 120 Credits

1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits

To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the required major credits.

Any additional LAC coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.

Written Communication — 6 credits

The program recommends that you choose the following courses:

ENG 122 AND 

ENG 123 OR SCI 291 requirement.

These courses will count towards both the major requirements and liberal arts curriculum.

See Written Communication courses

Mathematics — 3 credits

The program recommends that you take the following courses:

MATH 131 AND STAT 150

These courses will count towards both the major requirements and liberal arts curriculum. 

See Mathematics courses

Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits

To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.

Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.

See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses

Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits

The program recommends that you take the following courses:

PHYS 220 OR PHYS 240

AND

BIO 110 OR CHEM 111  and CHEM 111L 

These courses will count towards both the major requirements and liberal arts curriculum. 

See Natural & Physical Sciences courses

See Liberal Arts Curriculum

2. Required Major — 85-86 credits

No more than 20 of the following credit hours may be transferred from another institution.

Of the 20 hours, no more than 9 hours of 300/400 level course may be transferred in from another institution.

(Required Courses — 76-77 credits)

The following courses are required as part of the Software Engineering major, some of which will also count towards the Liberal Arts Curriculum. 

BACS 180Introduction to Software Engineering

1

BACS 200Web Design and Development for Small Business

3

BACS 287Fundamentals of Programming

3

BACS 350Intermediate Web Development

3

BACS 380Networking and Data Communications Systems

3

BACS 383Designing User Experiences

3

BACS 385Fundamentals of Project Management

3

BACS 387Object Oriented Systems Development

3

BACS 485Database Management Systems

3

BACS 487Systems Analysis and Design

3

CS 120Introduction to Programming

3

CS 160Structured Programming

3

CS 200Object-Oriented Analysis, Design, and Programming

3

CS 301Algorithms and Data Structures

3

CS 350Software Engineering I

3

CS 440Operating Systems

3

or

CS 442Networking

3

MATH 131Calculus ILAX1

4

MATH 132Calculus IILAX1

4

MATH 228Discrete Mathematics

3

MATH 350Probability Theory

3

STAT 150Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1

3

ENG 123Writing and Research MethodsLAW2

3

or

SCI 291Scientific WritingLAW2

3

PHYS 220Introductory Physics ILAS1LASL

5

or

PHYS 240General Physics ILAS1LASL

5

BIO 110Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL

4

or

CHEM 111Principles of Chemistry ILAS1

4

and

CHEM 111LPrinciples of Chemistry I LaboratoryLAS1LASL

1

Required Senior Project — 3 credits

Choose one of the following courses:

BACS 488Senior CIS Project

3

CS 497Senior Project

1- 8

If CS 497 is taken; must complete 3 hours.

Major Electives — 6 credits

Choose 6 credits or more from any 300 or 400 level BACS or CS course not otherwise required for the major except for BACS 300.

3. University-Wide Credits — 3-4 credits*

Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for this degree at UNC; for this degree, that will typically be 3-4 credits.

*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.

Four Year Plan

This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance. 

Year 1 – 30 credits

Fall Semester

BACS 180Introduction to Software Engineering

1

CS 120Introduction to Programming

3

MATH 131Calculus ILAX1

4

ENG 122College CompositionLAW1

3

LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4

3

Total Credit Hours:14

Spring Semester

BACS 287Fundamentals of Programming

3

ENG 123Writing and Research MethodsLAW2

3

or

SCI 291Scientific WritingLAW2

3

MATH 132Calculus IILAX1

4

STAT 150Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1

3

LAC HistoryLAH1

3

Total Credit Hours:16

Year 2 – 30-31 credits

Fall Semester

BACS 387Object Oriented Systems Development

3

MATH 228Discrete Mathematics

3

PHYS 220Introductory Physics ILAS1LASL

5

or

PHYS 240General Physics ILAS1LASL

5

LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4

3

Total Credit Hours:14

Spring Semester

BACS 200Web Design and Development for Small Business

3

BIO 110Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL

4

or

CHEM 111Principles of Chemistry ILAS1

4

and

CHEM 111LPrinciples of Chemistry I LaboratoryLAS1LASL

1

CS 160Structured Programming

3

LAC Social and Behavioral SciencesLAB1LAB2LAB3

3

University-Wide Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:16-17
 

Year 3 – 31 credits

Fall Semester

BACS 350Intermediate Web Development

3

BACS 380Networking and Data Communications Systems

3

CS 200Object-Oriented Analysis, Design, and Programming

3

MATH 350Probability Theory

3

LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

BACS 385Fundamentals of Project Management

3

CS 301Algorithms and Data Structures

3

Upper Division Major Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Year 4 – 28-29 credits

Fall Semester

CS 350Software Engineering I

3

BACS 383Designing User Experiences

3

BACS 485Database Management Systems

3

BACS 487Systems Analysis and Design

3

University-Wide Elective

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Spring Semester

BACS 488Senior CIS Project

3

or

CS 497Senior Project

1- 8

CS 440Operating Systems

3

or

CS 442Networking

3

Upper Division Major Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

3

University-Wide Elective

1-2

Total Credit Hours:13-14

If CS 497 is taken, must complete 3 hours.

Advising Notes –

  • Some of the upper level Software Engineering courses are offered in only one semester each year. You are required to meet with your Software Engineering advisor each semester to make certain you are on schedule.
  • Students must meet course prerequisites as stated in the current UNC catalog. Be sure to check each semester to make sure you meet the prerequisite requirements

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